Xavier Swamikannu
Assistant Adjunct Professor
Environmental Science and Engineering Program
La Kretz Hall
Suite 300
Los Angeles, California 90095-1496
Biography
Xavier Swamikannu is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability. He previously worked for more than twenty years at the California Water Quality Control Board in Los Angeles, and served as its Chief of Storm Water Programs, partnering with UCLA faculty to fund research and bring science into public decision-making. He is an expert in storm water pollution regulatory policy and implementation and served as an expert on the National Academy of Sciences committee on Managing Urban Stormwater Pollution, and as a U.S. Fulbright Senior Environmental Leadership Fellow at the Government of India’s Central Pollution Control Board. He is presently a member on a National Academy of Sciences committee on the federal Multi-Sector Industrial Stormwater General Permit. The committee is developing recommendations to submit to the Environmental Protection Agency early next year for a Proposed Rule to be issued in 2020.
The California Water Boards, and the Centre for Water Protection in Maryland have both honored him for his contributions to the advancement of U.S. storm water policy. At UCLA, he received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award, and is a life member of the UCLA Alumni Association.
Xavier holds a Doctorate in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from UCLA, and a Master of Science degree from Texas Christian University. He attended Loyola Law School.
Research Interests
His research interests are to study the progress of regulatory policy for water quality protection, its implementation, and effectiveness in the U.S. and California. Areas of focus include industrial storm water pollution control, eliminating barriers to the implementation of green infrastructure, better understanding of the effectiveness of storm water control measures implemented in California with public grants, and standardizing water quality monitoring and modeling methods in Southern California to inform local governments for surface water pollution control planning.
On an international level, he is interested in integrated water resources management, environmental protection strategies, and regulatory policy implementation in the Asia and Pacific region including India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia, and in contrasting them with the U.S.
His personal interest is to create opportunities for ESE and IOES students for internships and residencies at local, state, and federal agencies; and international environmental organizations in order for them to appreciate public service in protecting the environment, through the professional partnerships he forged during his years in government service.